This content originally appeared on Telerik Blogs and was authored by Teon Beijl
Think you’re fighting startups? Think again. Excel might still be your toughest competitor in enterprise software.
While having coffee, I asked a friend, a business controller, what tools he uses for financial reporting and analysis. “Excel,” he said.
It reminded me of my time designing enterprise software for the oil and gas industry. No matter how many fancy features we rolled out, the geologists and engineers still preferred spreadsheets. We had to convince them to replace a tool that gave them power and freedom—for free.
So while you think you’re battling SaaS or AI, your biggest rival might not be the latest startup. It might be the app already on every computer. The one people even use at home. Yes, the green one.
Excel.
Still not convinced it’s a real competitor? There’s even an Excel Esports World Championship.
Now your turn.
Why Change a Winning Team?
Let’s be honest: Excel is actually a really great product. It’s flexible, powerful and reliable. It’s easy to learn. Hard to master.
This means new users can get started quickly. And the masters? They’ve got an edge they’re not willing to give up.
Do a quick scan of open jobs and you’ll see: Excel proficiency is still a required skill in many roles. The users who’ve mastered Excel have built templates and formulas. They own it. They trust it.
And who else do they trust? One of the biggest players in enterprise software: Microsoft.
Sure, that has major disadvantages. Innovation isn’t always its top priority. But it comes bundled with the suite. It’s integrated. It works seamlessly across the Microsoft ecosystem. It’s a default that feels like it’s “free.”
This creates vendor lock-in. That’s not a fight most managers are eager to pick.
In enterprise software, trust, control and integration make a powerful case for sticking with what works.
When people are getting the job done, why change a winning team?
Integrate and Imitate
So, how do you beat it?
The simple answer: You probably can’t beat Excel head-on. You have to integrate it and imitate it.
One thing I noticed during user research was that many users were using Excel alongside the app. They copied or exported data, manipulated it, filtered it and analyzed it in Excel.
They built their own overviews, reports and logic.
This isn’t bad. It’s a signal. Apparently, Excel provides something valuable.
That’s an opportunity. Integrate your app with Excel. Build a connector. Make import and export simple and seamless. Allow users to leave, but make it easy—and worthwhile—for them to return with their data.
And beyond integration: imitate Excel. Build familiar, similar experiences inside your app.
A smart way to do this is by using a spreadsheet component. Let users work in a grid, filter data, write formulas—without ever leaving your app.
You don’t have to replace Excel. But you can leverage its power—and its familiarity—to your advantage.
=SUBSTITUTE(@Worksheet, Excel, "YourApp")
The hardest part? Making people switch.
Simply being “better than Excel” isn’t enough. Even if users admit your software is better, that doesn’t mean they’ll switch.
This is called status quo bias. People overweight the risks of change and underweight the benefits.
Switching means effort. Switching means risk. Switching means uncertainty.
So, what’s the formula to win?
If you want users to substitute Excel, you’ll have to eliminate risks. You’ll need an even lower barrier to entry than Excel. And your app needs to be significantly better. Ten times better.
Better designed. Better executed.
The fact that so many users still use Excel also tells us something: Many critical workflows happen outside the apps we’ve built. Outside the features we copy. They live in private spreadsheets with custom formulas and hidden macros.
Go out there and learn. Ask your users. Study those rows and cells. There’s real gold hidden in the sheets.
If you ignore Excel, you’re not competing with it. You’re losing to it.
Ready for a Head Start?
Progress provides a Spreadsheet UI component across web/desktop/mobile products. Also, the Document Processing Library has SpreadProcessing built in. So, don’t fight Excel but bring it inside your enterprise apps! Learn more:
This content originally appeared on Telerik Blogs and was authored by Teon Beijl

Teon Beijl | Sciencx (2025-07-02T11:03:54+00:00) Why You Can’t Beat the Spreadsheet and Why Excel Is Your Biggest Competitor. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/07/02/why-you-cant-beat-the-spreadsheet-and-why-excel-is-your-biggest-competitor/
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